Op-Docs

A Moment in Mexico

A man who loves his admittedly dirty job. A city coming together after a natural disaster. A teacher struggling to shape the morals of the next generation. Taken together, the films in this series of six documentaries by some of Mexico’s outstanding filmmakers offer windows into Mexico’s most urgent problems and also introduce the people committed to solving them. This series, of course, is not an attempt to portray Mexico comprehensively — that would be impossible. Instead, through these remarkable short films, we hope to challenge our audience to consider the country in new ways, guided by the artists who call it home.

Ruptured City

Directors: Santiago Arau Pontones and Diego Rabasa

In the aftermath of a major earthquake in Mexico City last year, aerial footage captures the resilience of the city’s response.

In the aftermath of a major earthquake in Mexico City last year, aerial footage captures the resilience of the city’s response.By Santiago Arau Pontones and Diego Rabasa

The 1985 Mexico City earthquake shook not just the city, with its trail of death and destruction, but also the social order. Facing the ineffectiveness, passivity and corruption of government authorities, civil society ultimately took the reins. That image, of a society that is organized and empowered, resounded in the psyche of our generation now. So on the heels of last year’s quake, the natural response of the vast majority of people was to go out into the street to help. The support was so overwhelming that the worst-hit areas were brimming with help. This documentary captures the essence of what happened when this new wound struck our city, the day in which the earth reminded us anew of the fragility of our foundations. — Santiago Arau Pontones and Diego Rabasa

Children of the Narco Zone

Director: Everardo González

What it’s like to grow up as the child of an avowed gangster.

What it’s like to grow up as the child of an avowed gangster.By Everardo González

This short film speaks to how hard it is to teach in a violent atmosphere. Teachers have to adapt to union conditions, educational reforms, low wages, distances and isolation, and the great challenge in instilling in their students a moral code, in communities where this concept is fractured. How do you tell a child that his father or his brother’s actions destroy a society’s social fabric, when they think it’s normal to follow that moral code? — Everardo González

A Prisoner in the Family

Director: Indra Villaseñor Amador

Out of desperation, a woman has kept her mentally ill son under lock and key for over twenty years.

Out of desperation, a woman has kept her mentally ill son under lock and key for over twenty years.By Indra Villaseñor Amador

This film offers a view of what some people in Mexico face, when a lack of information, support and resources leave them with no choice but to figure out a way to survive by any means necessary. The day to day lives of many Mexicans are directly tied to their socioeconomic status, and unfortunately our protagonists have been dealt a bitter hand. This documentary is a window into the pain, hurt and circumstances that led a mother to lock her son in a room in the backyard of the family’s house. — Indra Villaseñor Amador

The Diver

Director: Esteban Arrangoiz

Mexico City employs a diver to clear out clogs and snags from its gigantic sewer system. And he loves it.

Mexico City employs a diver to clear out clogs and snags from its gigantic sewer system. And he loves it.By Esteban Arrangoiz

Mexico is undergoing multiple crises: humanitarian, corruption, garbage. This film shows us how through his work, a human being is capable of finding beauty, pleasure and the essence of his humanity inside the detritus. This moves me, gives me hope and compels me to make movies. I think Mexico needs stories like these. — Esteban Arrangoiz

Justice in Translation

Director: Sergio Blanco

Many indigenous people who enter the Mexican justice system must navigate it without a translator — even though they may not speak Spanish.

Many indigenous people who enter the Mexican justice system must navigate it without a translator — even if they don’t speak Spanish.By Sergio Blanco

We met Lupita when we set out to research our next documentary. Her work with inmates and their testimonies, for whom she serves as a guide against the confusion they experience in prison, immediately conveyed to us her commitment to break down barriers and confront a Mexican judicial system that is linguistically challenged. How can you guarantee people’s access to justice when basic means for understanding are lacking? Faced with this contradiction, Lupita builds bridges for communication and offers alternatives for democratic transformation; her daily dedication promotes the construction of a more inclusive and effective justice system before the cultural and linguistic diversity of Mexico. — Sergio Blanco

Unsilenced

Director: Betzabé García

An activist is murdered on-air while hosting a radio show for fellow displaced residents of a rural town in Mexico.

An activist is murdered on-air while hosting a radio show for fellow displaced residents of a rural town in Mexico.By Betzabé García

This film tells the story of Atilano Román Tirado, an activist and community radio host of ‘Así es mi tierra.’ Through his story we learn who he was and the risks he accepted when leading the Picachos Dam movement. I remember the first time we spoke—his eyes radiated strength and courage. He told us that the show was his mission, that someone had to be at the front of the movement. Like Atilano, many activists and journalists seek a social reconstruction, a rebirth of the people. “Unsilenced” is a short film that seeks to honor all the people who have risked their lives in the search for justice and love toward others. — Betzabé García